A five-month-old boy died from traumatic head injury. Initial medical disagreement about whether injuries were from accidental fall or non-accidental trauma delayed investigation. The child presented with extensive bruising, subdural haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, retinal haemorrhages, and bilateral cerebral swelling. The caregiver initially provided a statement about putting the child to bed, later changing his account to describe the child falling from a change table. Medical experts eventually agreed the injuries were consistent with severe acceleration/deceleration forces incompatible with the described fall scenario. Forensic evidence of possible sexual abuse was inconclusive. The coroner referred the matter to police and DPP for potential criminal charges, identifying this as non-accidental injury (shaken baby syndrome).
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
paediatricsforensic medicineneurologyemergency medicine
Initial contradictory expert medical opinions delaying investigation
Delayed police referral due to expert disagreement
Possible sexual abuse (inconclusive forensic evidence)
Coroner's recommendations
Matter referred to Commissioner of Police and Director of Public Prosecutions due to belief that offences may have been committed in connection with the death
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction — report an inaccuracy here.